8 Jan 2010 | Uncategorized
Jonathan Ross’s departure from the BBC has led to a spate of speculation about his motives. Ross himself has been fairly quiet on the matter, though the prolific tweeter did thank his fans on the social network site, saying “Thanks for all the kind words about my decision. I feel sad that i can’t keep making the shows so many of you love!”
Ross also issued a statement saying his decision to leave the BBC was “not financially motivated”.
You’d imagine that would be sufficient, but the need to fill pages with a story on one of Britain’s best-known celebrities — coupled with the recent obsession with BBC salaries — has led newspapers to unfounded speculation about Ross wanting more money, or a meeting in which he was given a “derisory offer” by the corporation.
Such has been the extent of this whispering that Ross, through his solicitors Schillings, has been forced to issue a reminder to media that suggestions that Ross’s motivation was financial would not only be in breach of Section 1 of the PCC Code of Conduct as to accuracy, but that in fact they are untrue and grossly defamatory of the popular presenter, who insists he had never even entered negotiation on a contract with the BBC, much less been given a derisory offer.
21 Dec 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News
Trevor Phillips, the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said the BBC may be sanctioned if comments made by the public on its website do not comply with Labour’s new anti-discrimination laws. The move follows public criticism pver the BBC hosting an online debate on its news website asking whether gays should be executed in relation to a proposed anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda. Mark Stephens, a media lawyer who has been leading a commonwealth campaign against a proposed law in Uganda said: “ We must protect freedom of speech whether it is offensive or not. The alternative is to drive the debate underground.” Read more here
17 Dec 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News
The BBC has come under fire for pulling sections of the Sergei Diaghilev ballet from its Christmas television schedule after discovering it featured a deformed Pope who rapes nuns. BBC4 was due to show Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez in a pre-watershed slot over Christmas. The shows producer Javier de Frutos has hit back saying he believes the decision is “silly as well as dangerous”. Composer Thomas Adès added: “To pull it from the programme is a shocking, terrible mistake, and shows a disgraceful, pathetic and worrying loss of nerve on the part of the BBC.” Read more here
17 Dec 2009 | News, United Kingdom
Index on Censorship and English PEN today have expressed dismay that the BBC has conceded the libel action brought by toxic waste shippers Trafigura in the High Court. We believe this is a case of such high public interest that it was incumbent upon a public sector broadcaster like the BBC to have held their ground in order to test in a Court of law the truth of the BBC’s report or determine whether a vindication of Trafigura was deserved.
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